Ace Frehley – “Anomaly”

Ace Frehley – “Anomaly”
By Thomas S. Orwat, Jr.

It was almost 20 years years since ex-Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley released a solo record. During that time, Ace rejoined Kiss and then quit the band again. He struggled with his demons, but then turned his life around. He is now sober, healthy and dedicated to resurrecting his career. Over the last few years, Ace’ focused his efforts on writing and recording new material. The result is “Anomaly,” a hard hitting, well written 12=track rock masterpiece.

One of Ace’s goals on “Anomaly” was to recapture the vibe and sound of his 1978 platinum selling solo release. But this isn’t just a carbon copy of his debt solo release. There are certainly some modern influences on this release as well.

‘Anomaly’ starts off with the hard rocking track “Foxy & Free.” This song has an intense feedback driven solo that quickly implies that Ace is going directly for the kill.”Outer Space” the first single off the the record is one of the heaviest songs of Ace’s career. This track has an infectious chorus with in-your face riffs.”Genghis Khan” is another heavy track with an unique tuning and effects and features the backing vocals of Pearl Aday, the daughter of Meatloaf. Ace recently stated that this is his most favorite song that he’s ever written.

“A Little Below the Angels” is a bit of a departure for Ace. It’s a reflective, mid-tempo, tender acoustic ballad that features back up vocals by his daughter Monique. The autobiographical “A Little Below the Angels” is another mid-tempo track in which Ace discusses his struggles with drugs and alcohol.

The instrumental “Fractured Quantum” is the last track and one of the more impressive on the record. If you are a fan of killer guitar work, you won’t find a better release on the shelves. Simply put, Ace plays rock guitar, and is a true guitar hero. He doesn’t have to rely on flashy million-notes-per-secnd guitar gymnastics that is the style of so many one trick pony guitarist out there. Also,Ace sings on all the vocal tracks, which he hasn’t done since his 78 debut solo release. He has never sounded better.

In addition to sounding great, the cover and artwork is also pretty cool. In keeping with the marketing tradition of Kiss, the CD also has a very unique fold out pyramid packaging. Ace definitely knows what his fans want. And makes this a true collectors item.

It’s going to be interesting to hear what the new upcoming KISS record will sound like. There will most certainly be comparisons and Ace has raised the bar very high. Game on Gene and Paul.

Ace is back and I told you so!!! Purchase this release at www.acefrehley.com